Monthly Archives: April 2014

Opportunity: Sol 3649, April 29, 2014

Posted on April 30, 2014 by rburnham

The left-side Navcam looks ahead, as the rover drives about 70 meters (230 feet) to the south-southwest. The rover is driving in reverse to ease strain on the right front wheel. Due to the rover being on a westward slope, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged Cape Tribulation, Endeavour Crater, Mars Exploration Rover, MER, NASA, Opportunity, Solander Point | Comments Off

HiRISE: Furrows on dunes

Posted on April 30, 2014 by rburnham

Furrows on dunes. More HiRISE images.

Posted in Reports | Tagged dunes, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, sand dunes, University of Arizona | Comments Off

HiRISE: Proposed site for future exploration

Posted on April 30, 2014 by rburnham

Proposed site for future exploration in Jezero Crater. More HiRISE images.

Posted in Reports | Tagged High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, HiRISE, Jezero Crater, landing sites, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, NASA, University of Arizona | Comments Off

MARCI weather report: April 21-27, 2014

Posted on April 30, 2014 by rburnham

Sporadic local storms occurred in Solis. Surface frost was visible at southern high-latitudes. Diffuse water ice clouds related to the aphelion cloud belt were present at equatorial latitudes…. [More at link, including video]

Posted in Reports | Tagged atmosphere, dust, Malin Space Science Systems, MARCI, Mars Color Imager, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MRO, MSSS, NASA, storms, weather | Comments Off

Curiosity: Sol 615, April 30, 2014

Posted on April 30, 2014 by rburnham

MAHLI images the test drill hole in Windjana, which produced dark tailings. The camera was about 11 centimeters (4.5 inches) from the outcrop. UPDATE: The hole is 0.63 inch (1.6 centimeters) in diameter and about 0.8 inch (2 centimeters) deep. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged Aeolis Mons, Curiosity, Gale Crater, Kimberley, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Remarkable, Mount Sharp, MSL, NASA, Windjana | Comments Off

Windjana target looks good for Curiosity drilling

Posted on April 30, 2014 by rburnham

The team operating NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover plans to proceed in coming days with the third-ever drilling into a rock on Mars to collect a sample for analysis. The rover used several tools to examine the candidate site over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged Aeolis Mons, Curiosity, Gale Crater, Kimberley, Mars Science Laboratory, Mount Remarkable, Mount Sharp, MSL, NASA, Windjana | Comments Off

THEMIS: Alluvial fans

Posted on April 30, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, April 30, 2014. Triangular shaped deposits at cliff edges are termed alluvial fans. Alluvial fans typically form in arid regions were water flow is limited, so deposits of material are not washed away. Formation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged alluvial fans, Arizona State University, ASU, channels, Kasei Valles, Mars Odyssey, NASA, outflow channels, THEMIS, Thermal Emission Imaging System, water | Comments Off

HiRISE: South polar region cryptic terrain

Posted on April 30, 2014 by rburnham

Beautiful Mars series. South polar region cryptic terrain. This is called “cryptic terrain” because it stays cold in the spring, even as its albedo (light reflection) darkens and the Sun rises in the sky. More Beautiful Mars images.